Birmingham, UK: The firm running a Carlsberg brewery has been fined £3m over am ammonia gas leak in a refrigeration plant that killed a worker and left another seriously injured.
David Chandler died after an “explosive release” of ammonia gas, which left around 20 others needing treatment, at the site in Northampton in November 2016. Chandler’s colleague David Beak suffered burns to his lungs and throat and was admitted to intensive care.
Northampton-based Carlsberg Supply Company UK Ltd, which is now called CMBC Supply Ltd, pleaded guilty to three breaches of health and safety laws at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court in March 2020.
This week Birmingham Crown Court heard that Carlsberg had failed to put in place appropriate isolation controls at its Northampton brewery to prevent exposure to ammonia before work started to remove a compressor from a refrigeration system.
Passing sentence yesterday, High Court judge Justice Picken said: “Carlsberg admits these failings, specifically a failure to ensure the health and safety, so far as was reasonably practicable, of employees and non-employees alike.
“In this case, the material risk – the possibility of harm – to which employees and non-employees were exposed was the risk to health and safety from the possible escape of ammonia.
“A large number of people were exposed to that risk. Had appropriate isolations been in place… the incident would not have occurred.”
The judge, who also made a costs order for £90,000, added: “It is not in dispute that this is a case where the level of culpability is properly to be regarded as high.”
But the judge said the company had taken steps to remedy deficiencies, shown a high level of co-operation, and “not only has no previous convictions but has a positively good health and safety record” at the site.
Paul Davies, the chief executive of Carlsberg Supply Company UK Ltd, said: “We deeply regret the tragic incident which occurred at our Northampton brewery in November 2016 and resulted in the death of David Chandler and injury to David Beak.
“We strive to attain and maintain the highest standards of health and safety management for our employees. Through our guilty plea to the charges and much earlier acceptance of responsibility, we recognise that on this occasion we did not meet these high standards.
“All remedial measures have since been taken and lessons learnt. As a company, we will continue to put health and safety at the forefront of how we operate.”
